"Our Tekstone (Wood Powder) product is a hybrid that takes advantage of
laminate's easy click installation but the powder surface is more
durable, warmer and easier to clean,bCrLf said Petra van der Waard,
communication director for Tarkett's Western Europe division.

Laminate stalwarts such as Kaindl and Egger have also broadened their collections to include cork surfaces and digital printing.

"Cork has a warmer feel and touch than other surfaces,bCrLf said Johnny
Shamoun, president, Kaindl North America. "It's acoustically better
than traditional laminate and 100 percent renewable.bCrLf

Parador, like a number of traditional wood, laminate and cork
suppliers, has extended its 2012 offering to include LVT. While
exhibiting traditional 3mm and 5mm click LVTs, Parador also displayed 6
foot laminate planks topped with LVT.

Beaulieu International exhibited its own 6 foot long Podium XXL LVT and
demonstrated the advantages of Dream Click, which features the
Super-Click locking system (Super-Click International, Preston,
Lancashire, U.K.) Having acquired the exclusive rights for the use of
Super-Click in Europe and North America, Beaulieu's Dream Click
installs simply by sliding planks together. The lock is the same on all
four sides allowing for both short and long side installations.

"With Dream Click you can rotate a board all the way around and it
still locks the same way,bCrLf said MichÃ¨le Bruynseels, marketing manager,
Beaulieu International Group.

Amorim's new Vinyl Comfort highlighted suppliers' willingness to
combine mediums by sandwiching a click laminate coreboard between sound
dampening and softening layers of cork and topping it off with LVT.
Amorim's new Art Comfort also features digitally printed cork surfaces
with the cork's natural texture providing an overall embossing.

"Cork is one of the best sound insulators and it absorbs subfloor
irregularities,bCrLf said Marcel Kies, executive director of sales, Amorim.

Hard surface suppliers did not monopolize innovation at Domotex 2012.
Beaulieu International utilizes a sophisticated 12 color spray system
in conjunction with the natural structure of its new wall-to-wall
Rockefeller collection.

"The combination of the carpet's structure and sophisticated print
patterns creates a unique visual but we also wanted a story to help our
customers and sales people,bCrLf said Emmanual Lioen, marketing manager,
Beaulieu International Group.

Balta also exhibited Sensit, a new soft polypropylene fiber with a
silky luster that is extremely resilient and easy to clean, according
to Geert Vanden Bossche, Balta's marketing director. ITC, a division of
the Balta Group, introduced Bcreative contract flooring, which utilizes
chromojet digital printing for custom designs.